The Americas have a strong presence in the ten countries with the world’s highest overall well-being, with seven countries on the list. After Panama, rounding out the top ten are Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Belize, Chile, Denmark, Guatemala, Austria and Mexico.

The five countries with the lowest levels of well-being are Tunisia, Togo, Cameroon, Bhutan and Afghanistan. In fact, in Afghanistan, no residents are thriving in three or more well-being elements, and none is thriving in purpose, social or financial well-being.

Globally, higher well-being has been associated with outcomes indicative of stability and resilience — for example, healthcare utilization, intent to migrate, trust in elections and local institutions, daily stress, food/shelter security, volunteerism, and willingness to help others.

The Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index uses a holistic definition of well-being and self-reported data from individuals across the globe to create a unique view of societies’ progress on the elements that matter most to well-being: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. It is the most proven, mature and comprehensive measure of well-being in populations.

To see where other countries around the world fall within the rankings, download a copy of the report today. You can also subscribe to content from the Well-Being Index; by subscribing, we’ll let you know when we release new reports and insights from the Well-Being Index.

In April of this year, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a proposed rule and additional guidance regarding corporate wellness programs, addressing how these programs can better comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Specifically, the EEOC suggests that employers may need to revise their programs’ financial incentives, data privacy standards and enrollment practices.

In an article published last week on the website Morning Consult, Bill Novelli, professor in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and Healthways board member, offered his opinion on the EEOC’s proposed rule and the resulting complexities it will create for companies. Entitled “Government Should Promote Wellness, Not Impede It,” the article suggests that the additional regulation of corporate wellness programs created by the EEOC’s new rule could be counter-productive to making a positive impact on key healthcare issues such as rising rates of chronic illness and obesity. Novelli asserts that the new restrictions proposed by the EEOC will make it harder for companies to implement and sustain successful wellness programs.

According to Novelli, the new rule and guidance undermine the collaboration between business and government that is necessary to truly move the needle on the state of health within the United States. To learn more, read the full article here.

As we’ve explored earlier, organizational culture can play a pivotal role in the overall success of a well-being improvement program. If their cultures aren’t supportive of (or even worse, if they’re inhospitable to) well-being, even the most thoughtful, well-designed programs can struggle to deliver the kinds of valuable outcomes employers want to see.

A mid-sized employer in the insurance industry recognized this link between culture and program outcomes, so it worked with Healthways to develop and implement a more purposeful culture of well-being within the organization. Some of the initiatives the employer and Healthways focused on were fostering support among leadershipand launching activities such as employee challenges and access to fitness classes. Additionally, the employer partnered with Healthways to create and deploy an overall well-being improvement program, which included assessments, action plans, health coaching and web-based resources.

Over the two-year period of the study, overall well-being among employees improved 7.3 points, a 10.4 percent increase. By the conclusion of the study, overall well-being at the employer had, in fact, even outpaced the well-being of the surrounding community, despite starting significantly below the community average.

The six specific dimensions of well-being measured by the study also all improved. For example, healthy behaviors jumped an impressive 42 percent over the two years, while emotional health improved 12 percent. This improvement in overall well-being and its dimensions was mirrored by a corresponding decrease in the percentage of employees with health risks such as high blood pressure, cholesterol levels and tobacco usage. The group of employees who have two or fewer of these risks increased 13 percent over the study period.

The study also shows a boost in productivity that occurred after the well-being improvement program was implemented. Self-reported job performance improved 2 percent, and on-the-job productivity loss (i.e., presenteeism) decreased by a notable 21 percent. All of these outcomes support earlier researchthat showed the positive results that can occur following implementation of a well-being improvement strategy.

Employers interested in seeing similar results may be wondering how they can get started on building a culture that is more supportive of well-being. In our “9 Ways to Think Big, Start Small,” we’ve compiled nine top ways to activate a culture of well-being within your organization. We’ve even included easy examples of each to help start the process today.

A new report from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index® ranks the 100 largest communities in the United States by their comparative well-being. North-Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, has the nation’s highest well-being, followed by Urban Honolulu, Hawaii; Raleigh, North Carolina; Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California; and El Paso, Texas. El Paso also leads the nation in purpose and physical well-being.

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio- Pennsylvania, has the lowest overall well-being in the country, as well as the lowest purpose and social well-being. The four communities rounding out the bottom five in terms of overall well-being are Toledo, Ohio; Knoxville, Tennessee; Dayton, Ohio; and Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Indiana. The state of Ohio has five communities among the ten ranked for lowest overall well-being.

“State of American Well-Being: 2014 Community Well-Being Rankings” examines the comparative well-being of the largest 100 communities in the United States. You can read more about the rankings here and download all the reports here.

To discover where other communities — including yours — fall within the rankings, download a copy of the report today. You can also subscribe to content from the Well-Being Index; by subscribing, we’ll let you know when we release new reports and insights from the Well-Being Index.